Exercising device.



jmicnior -mlliam GBeCZ'I W. G. BELL.

-EXERCISING DEVIGE.

(Apphcatlon filed. May 23, 1901 (No Model.)

pz'rzas co PHOT OvLIYHOV \NA5HINGTON, o c.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM G. BELL, OF SHARONHILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

EXERCISING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 688,499 dated December 10, 1901.

Application filed May 23,1901.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, .WILLIAM G. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sharonhill, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exercising Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make a muscle-exercisin g mechanism having tensionsprings of difierent powers united for sole acting or coacting, so that the more powerful spring'can be used to develop the muscles of the arms and those of the body coacting therewith and at the same time the less powerful spring can be used to exercise the muscles of the fingers or not, at the pleasure ofthe operator.

Devices for exercising which are formed of rubber or nonmetallic material are stretched and destroyed, are affected by extremes of temperature, and are by constant use disintegrated. Hence I have employed oil-temperedsteel coil-springs, which overcome the aboveenumerated objections and when plated and polished are ornamental as well as useful.

My apparatus as combined is complete in itself, is portable, and is ready for use in any place by simply securing the end of the more powerful spring above the person for a downward pull, below for an upward pull, and horizontally in front or at the back, in accordance witha correct position, to exercise the desired muscles of the back or chest in concert with the arm-muscles. The parts may be detached from each other to combine with other like parts more or less powerful by using springs of greater or less resistance to tension and formed of wire of smaller or larger gage for such purpose, and thus greater resistance may be secured as the muscle-power is developed and more resistance is needed.

My mechanism is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a general view of my mechanism represented as when hung up, and-Fig. 2 is a modification.

Similar figures of reference indicate similar parts wherever used.

In Fig. 1 the apparatus is represented as being hung up on a hook 1, which. is secured to a plate 2 by screws 3, the bent end 4 of the spring 5 engaging the hook. Spring 5 is Serial No. 61,499. (No model.)

closely coiled and formed of oiltemperedsteel wire and of a length to afford ample extension for any desired movement of the operator, and at its lower end it is provided with a curved hook extension 6, which passes through an eye 7, formed on bail 8 of handhandle't), the handle being secured by the bent ends 10 of the bail 8, on which handle 9 is freely seated for turning. Above handhandle 9 is finger-handle 11, suspended by wire 12, which is a lower extension of the lesser spring 13, which at its opposite end has an upper extension 14,which hooks into eye'7. Thus it will be seen handle 9 may be grasped by the hand and,.working through bail 8, extend spring 5, or the fingers only may close over handle 11 and operate springs 13 and 5, or handle 9 may be grasped by the palm and thumb, the handle 11 brought down to handle 9 by the fingers, and the entire hand then op erat-e spring 5. It will readily be seen that these parts are easily detached from each other, so that combinations of springs of different powers may be formed.

In Fig. 2 the major spring 5 is secured in eye 7 by hook 6 of bail 15, the bail having a handle 9, above which is suspended fingerhandle 11' by bail 16, which has a loop 17, joined to the hooked extension 18 of minor spring 13, which is secured by its upper extension 14. in eye 7 of bail 15. The construction in the modification, Fig. 2, suspends the finger-handle by its ends, whereas as shown in Fig. 1 it is suspended from its center.

' I claim 1. The combination in an exercising device, of a coiled spring 5; a bail S secured to one end of spring 5; a handle 9 secured to the bail; a spring 13 secured at one end to the bail; a handle 11 securedto the end of spring 13; and said spring 5 provided at the end opposite to the end to which the bail is attached, with means for securing the same to a fixed object; the said combined apparatus being adapted to move relative to the fixed object to which it is attached.

2. The combination in an exercising device of a long coiled spring 5 having hooks atthe ends; a bail 8 secured to one end of the spring 5 by an eye; a handle 9; and a relatively small, short, and less powerful spring 13 with an attached handle detachably secured within the bail 8 and occupying such a position pleniental spring being provided at the end 10 relative to the handle 9 that when drawn down with a hook. to said handle 9 the spring 13 will be placed In testimony whereof I aflix my signature under tension. in presence of two witnesses. 3. The combination in an exercising device I of coiled spring 5 having hooks at its ends; a l WILLIAM LELL' bail 8; a handle; and a supplemental spring Witnesses: and handle located in line with the first-men- RANSOM O. WRIGHT tioned spring and handle; and the said sup- WILLIAM C. STOEVER. 

